Windhoek – A sponsor is yet to be unveiled and the first whistle will only be blown seven months from now, but none of that has taken the excitement surrounding the resumption of premier league football in Namibia.

After two years without a ball being kicked – thanks to boardroom brawling and COVID-19 – league action finally returns to the soccer-loving Southern African country,

Namibian Football Association (NFA) secretary-general Franco Cosmos told The Southern Times Sport this week that the topflight would start on September 17, subject to health considerations.

“I am glad to confirm to you that, yes, football will return to Namibia in September subject to all health protocols being met. The NFA has finished setting up channels and plans for the domestic premiere league to commence and this is a welcome good news for all our football fans, players and interested parties,” he said.

Cosmos, however, would not shed light on whether the country’s top soccer governing body would directly run the league after it expelled the Namibian Premier League as an affiliate.

NFA president Ranga Haikali, when announcing the expulsion of the NPL last year, said their focus was on bringing a topflight league back.

“The annual general meeting overwhelmingly voted to expel the NPL from being an affiliate member of the NFA. We would not have liked things to reach this level, but this is now the way forward. NFA will set up a new desk that will manage a new league and clubs in the country will be given a chance to join the new structures and play football under the NFA,” Haikali said.

The NPL was expelled after disagreeing with the NFA on how many teams to relegate and to promote two seasons ago.

The Namibia Sports Commission has been trying to mediate in the dispute, but that has not stopped the NFA from proceeding to establish a new premier league.

The NFA is also still to come out on where the league sponsorship will come from.

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